Chew the Fat: "Just For the Fun of it"...

Redartz:  There are lots of reasons for selecting the particular comics that filled our shelves as youth. The reasons are much the same now, with the addition of hindsight and years. We may pick a specific comic because it's continuing an ongoing storyline. It may feature a favored artist or writer. Perhaps we grabbed it up for the sake of completeness: we don't want to miss an issue. Some folks will buy a given issue for perceived collectible. Some will buy a book just for the cover (I've done that numerous times, as recently as last month). But one of the best reasons to buy a particular comic book is "just for the fun of it".

Last weekend I doubled up; visiting a comic shop and a flea market! And since I've long ago abandoned completion as a goal, I just look for books that appeal to me. Some are books I once had and would like to reacquire, some are books I've always wanted to read. But often I just pick up a book because it looks like a lot of fun. This was the case last weekend, as I picked up these little smile-inducers:

 


My first stop was on Sunday, at a local comics shop. I try to visit one about every month or so, to see what's new, and to pore over some back issues. This go-round I spotted these gems on the rack: if you're not familiar with them, DC has been publishing comics based on the 1966 Batman  TV series for several years. The characters and villains are drawn like, and scripted like, the portrayals we remember: Adam West, Burt Ward, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and all the rest. What's more, they bring some of the TV villains onto the page that previously were only seen on the show: for instance, these books feature the Bookworm (resembling Roddy McDowell, of course) among some of the more familiar faces. 

And of course, as you saw recently in my Archie post, I have a fondness for the denizens of Riverdale. So seeing these two favorites paired up was , in a word, irresistible. And  irresistibly fun. So for any of you who may despair that 'fun' comics aren't available any more, you can rest assured. There are many lighthearted, amusing, 'just plain fun' books being published yet today. 

 

Next day was Monday, and it meant a trip to the flea market. There were many comics for sale there, including several comic dealers with nice back issues at full collector's prices. I did pick up a couple books from one (he had everything for half off), but where I most enjoy looking are the random comics found in random booths, usually stacked (you guessed it) randomly. It was at one such table that I saw this comic. As you can see, it's certainly been read before. Many times. And that's part of it's charm. Of course the biggest part is the subject: Little Lulu. Lulu is another character hearkening back to my youth, particularly in the form of those Golden Comics Digests that usually accompanied me on family trips. Artist /writer John Stanley came up with clever, amusing stories, and gave the kids (Lulu, Tubby, Alvin, and the rest) loads of personality. Tubby is always coming up with some kind of scheme, usually to Lulu's detriment. And Lulu is no helpless victim: she shows great ingenuity in her various forms of revenge. The books were great fun to read as a kid, and are still a kick. Finding this for a dollar was another 'must succumb' moment. You know, just for the fun of it. 

So, what comics have you grabbed up, 'just for kicks'?

Funny Books: The Kids are Alright- the "Lil' Folks" in Comics

Tip Top Comics, featuring "Nancy and Sluggo", "The Katzenjammer Kids", and some strip about a boy and his dog.

Redartz:  Hi all! For today's look at four color humor, we join up with the kid stars of the comic world. Kid comics have been a mainstay of the comics industry since the very beginning ("Katzenjammer Kids", anyone?). Perhaps some of us started out reading comics featuring some of these mischievous moppets. I did; the first comic I ever read was an issue of "Casper" (okay, so technically it was a deceased kid, but still). I soon added Richie Rich to the pile, and Little Dot. Then there were these two early favorites:  Little Lulu, especially when scribed by John Stanley...


 

 and Little Archie ( definitely a 'little' pattern going on there). Little Archie, beneficiary of the talents of writer/artist Bob Bolling...

 




Incidentally, Archie Comics often carried strips of another kid heroine: Lil' Jinx:


















 My ultimate fave kid book escaped my notice until years later, in college: "Sugar and Spike". I discovered those  tots in college, and fell in love with them. DC Comics pioneer Sheldon Mayer created these two torrid tots, with the kick that they could understand each other perfectly, but not 'grown-up talk' ( oh, as often depicted in the stories, animals can speak fluent 'baby talk', as can the elderly- second childhood).

 

 

Even today, while my comics purchases are limited, I still look out for back issues of that title (which are notoriously hard to find complete- they featured a page of cut-outs, which of course  frequently got 'cut out'). 

 








 There were many others, some I read occasionally and others that remain obscure today. Some of these are shown below (by the way- the "Cave Kids" were pretty fun, they often appeared in those great old Golden Comics Digests).  Sooo, let's invite the whole gang over and look at a few covers!

Riding the Retro Metro: Destination Wednesday July 7, 1971

Redartz: Hello fellow time travellers! Off we go again, back to the very early Bronze age. Early July 1971, to be exact. The U.S. continues to pull troops out of Viet Nam amidst protest marches, preparations are underway for the launch of Apollo 15 to the moon, and the world is shocked by the death of Doors singer Jim Morrison. Much is going on in the world, but for the kids among us, the focus is on pop culture. And it has much to offer today:

Tops on the Billboard U.S. Pop Chart:  Carole King, "It's Too Late"

Rounding out the top five: 
2. The Raiders, "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)"
3. Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, "Treat Her Like a Lady"
4. Carpenters, "Rainy Days and Mondays"
5. Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, "Don't Pull Your Love "


The Osmonds have a couple songs in the top 40, which really appeals to my sister. Not to me so much. I'm really liking the new John Denver song, "Take Me Home Country Roads". Heard it on the radio during our very recent family vacation trip. And many of the other songs listed here I'm hearing on the radio in our cabin: I'm at summer camp, and "Indian Reservation" is everywhere.

Tops in the UK:  Middle of the Road, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"

Now let's see what tv has to offer us tonight (of course there's no tv here at summer camp, but for the folks at home, here it is:
 U.S. Television Schedule:

 

ABC: The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Room 222, The Smith Family, Love on a Rooftop, The Immortal, NFL Action



 














CBS:  Adventure, To Rome With Love, Medical Center, Hawaii Five-0

 

NBC:  The Men from Shiloh, Kraft Music Hall, Four-in-One (McCloud, San Francisco International Airport, Night Gallery, The Psychiatrist)


BBC1:  Mission:Impossible, Paul Temple, The Fifties, News, Frost Over America, 24 Hours

BBC2:  Newsroom, Man Alive, One in Ten (Gordon Lightfoot), Stage 2: Trelawny of the 'Wells'

The Courtship of Eddie's Father is regular viewing at our house; a warm, engaging show with young Brandon Cruz and Bill Bixby as his father. And it has Harry Nilsson singing the theme. 
My father likes watching Medical Center with Chad Everett,  and Hawaii Five-0 with Jack Lord, and so do I.  Both have cool theme songs (these theme songs seem so important to a kid , don't know why).  Then there's the Smith Family. A family drama starring Henry Fonda, also with Ron Howard (seems he was just on Andy Griffith). It seems many film actors are getting tv series these days, such as Fonda, Doris Day, Dean Martin and Debbie Reynolds...

 One thing we do have at camp is comic books! Many of us have them under our bunks or in our duffel bags. Looking around we  might find some of these:

There's some pretty heavy hitters there. Amazing Spider-Man 100, with it's classic cover and shock ending. Green Lantern/Green Arrow tackling drugs. Jack Kirby's New Gods. Those books are still a few years off for me, but that John Stanley "Little Lulu" book accompanied me all summer. Probably the "Scooby Doo" as well. 



An interesting time to visit: the 60's still influencing much of pop culture, but elements of the 70's are standing out already. It was a great time to be a kid. Of course now the present calls us back from our retro reveries. But fear not, it won't be long until we again climb aboard the Metro and head baaaaack...